Shakespeare and the Bible
In citing classical verse plays and poems (like Shakespeare) as well as verses from the Bible:
Shakespeare’s name in text :
One Shakespearean hero seems resolute when he asserts, “Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift / As meditation… / May sweep to my revenge” (1.5.35-37), but he soon has second thoughts; another tragic figure, initially described as “too full o’ the’ milk of human kindness” (1.5.17), quickly descends into horrific slaughter.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square-Pocket, 1992.
Bible in-text example:
In one of the most vivid prophetic visions in the Bible, Ezekiel saw “what seemed to be four living creatures,” each with faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (The Holy Bible, Ezek. 1.5-10). John of Patmos echoes this passage when describing his vision (Rev. 4.6-8).
What the Works Cited Page looks like :
The Holy Bible. New International Version. Biblica, 2011. Biblegateway.org. Web. 5 Dec. 2011.
<http://www.biblegateway.org>
NOTES on Shakespeare and The Bible:
- Omit page numbers altogether and cite by division (act, scene, line or chapter, verse).
- Use regular (1,2,3), not roman numerals (I., II., III.).
Shakespeare’s name in text :
One Shakespearean hero seems resolute when he asserts, “Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift / As meditation… / May sweep to my revenge” (1.5.35-37), but he soon has second thoughts; another tragic figure, initially described as “too full o’ the’ milk of human kindness” (1.5.17), quickly descends into horrific slaughter.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square-Pocket, 1992.
Bible in-text example:
In one of the most vivid prophetic visions in the Bible, Ezekiel saw “what seemed to be four living creatures,” each with faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (The Holy Bible, Ezek. 1.5-10). John of Patmos echoes this passage when describing his vision (Rev. 4.6-8).
What the Works Cited Page looks like :
The Holy Bible. New International Version. Biblica, 2011. Biblegateway.org. Web. 5 Dec. 2011.
<http://www.biblegateway.org>
NOTES on Shakespeare and The Bible:
- Line divisions in verse or poetry are indicated by a slash with a space on either side: (“Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift / As meditation… / May sweep to my revenge”). Remember, not all Shakespeare is written in verse! Look carefully at your passages.
- The in-text citations do not include page numbers, but cite by act, scene and lines or by book, chapter and verse.
- Notice that Shakespeare plays are italicized (because they are titles of plays).
- Notice the placement of citations – when there is more than one source used in a short space, the citations are placed very closely after the quotes to be sure to distinguish which quotes come from which sources.